Old Galway
ST. NICHOLAS’ COLLEGIATE CHURCH, 1823
by Tom Kenny
This drawing of the Collegiate Church was done in December 1823 (at about 2pm according to the clock) by E.W. Thompson. It was presented to the vestry by another E.W. Thompson of Tullymore, Broughshane, Co. Antrim, in 1947.
The artist was standing in Shop Street, and by leaving out what is Eason’s Corner today, he gave himself licence to include more of the church grounds than he could see at any one time from that angle. The corner of the wall facing us is that of Church Lane and Shop Street. The Tholsel, or Town Hall was situated on this corner. It had recently burnt down and some of the stone was removed to build the facade of the Bank of Ireland at the top of Eyre Square. You can still see the old Tholsel arches there. The rest of the stone was probably used in building the wall we see, thus helping to widen the street. There are railings now where you can see the gate at the church end of the wall.
THE GARDA BARRACKS, SALTHILL
by Tom Kenny
The building which houses the Garda Barracks in Salthill was originally called Forster Park and was constructed as a summer house by the Blake Forster family at the end of the eighteenth century. In 1850, it was bought by the Palmer family who were well known whiskey distillers, flour millers and makers of porter. Most of their business was based in Nun’s Island. Their coat of arms can still be seen on the facade of this building. We can presume that Palmer’s Rock (sometimes known as Saunder’s Rock) on the shore in front of this house, was named after a member of the family.
The dredging of the river
by Tom Kenny
The main channel discharging all the water from loughs Corrib and Mask is the Galway River, flowing from Lough Corrib through the city to the sea. Among the structures built in 1850 and the following years, during the course of a drainage scheme carried out by what was then known as The Board of Public Works in Ireland, was the main regulating weir across the Corrib at Waterside. Its function was to control the river level at Galway in the interests of draining, milling, and navigation. It was built at a point in the river where the water descended though rapids.
The Monastery School
by Tom Kenny
Walsh on a site belonging to the Charity Free School which was formerly an army barracks, and it opened in January 1827. Three hundred boys attended on that day. The total funding available to the school was the sum of one shilling.
Within a year, there were 700 pupils attending. Most of those boys came from a very poor background, and the Brothers found it difficult to create an enthusiasm for learning among lads who were half starved and often half clothed. A fundraising campaign was launched and, within a few years, sufficient finance had been raised to open the Poor Boy’s Breakfast Institute. This enabled every child attending the school to have a breakfast every morning before classes began. The breakfasts were served every day for many years, and during the Famine they were serving about a thousand people daily. Tradition has it that there were times when the Brothers themselves were occasionally on the verge of collapse as they were sharing their own food with the boys.
Kirwan’s Lane c.1965
by Tom Kenny
In spite of the sunshine, this is a dreary 1960’s photograph of Kirwan’s Lane which was originally taken by Derek Biddulph.
There were fourteen medieval lanes in Galway and this is one of only five that still exist. It was originally two lanes, separated by a building which blocked the street. On the 1651 map, the section in our photograph was known as “Vicus Kirvanorum” while the other section that ran towards Quay Street was “Vicus Mole Martini”, Martin’s Mill Lane.
Selling on the Prom
by Tom Kenny
The first people to sell produce along the Promenade were women who carried buckets of cockles and mussels and sold them to tourists. They would sit on the concrete seats and announce their wares. I don’t know if they sang “Alive alive oh” in a Galway accent or not.
Later, stalls would appear parked on the roadside which sold Salthill rock, Peggy’s Leg, and sweets, and sometimes small items marked “A souvenir from Salthill”.
SAINT ANTHONY’S COLLEGE
by Tom Kenny
The Franciscans first came to Galway in 1296 and founded “The Abbey”. In 1483, a school of advanced theology was instituted there. When the Cromwellians invaded the city, the friars were expelled. In 1657, their friary was destroyed and the church was turned into a courthouse – the present courthouse stands on the same site. In 1660, a new church was erected on the present site of the Abbey. There were 13 friars there in 1766 and 8 years later, a novitiate was opened here. The present friary was built or rebuilt in 1820, and the present church opened c.1836. It was renovated in the 1970’s and became the first Franciscan parish in 1971.
“98’s”, UNDER-16 STREET LEAGUE CHAMPIONS, 1968
by Tom Kenny
In 1893, a Bohermore hurling club was affiliated to the County Board. There was a strong nationalist tradition in the area and so the club evolved into Bohermore 98’s in honour of the centenary of the 1798 rebellion. The guiding lights of the club were Jim Tonery, Paddy ‘Ham’ Ruffle and John Crowe. The club forfeited a County Championship in 1903 when one of their players was sent off. The team protested at the injustice of the decision and walked off the pitch. Their clubhouse was in Bohermore on a site that was later occupied by “Monto’s Shop” and is today covered with townhouses.